


My Slaves

by Tiffany_K_May



Category: Original Work
Genre: Ancient Egypt, M/M, Magic, Mpreg, Past Abuse, Slaves, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:22:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24519904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tiffany_K_May/pseuds/Tiffany_K_May
Summary: A group of slaves are brought before the Pharaoh of Upper and Lower Egypt. One of the slaves catches his eye so he orders the slave to be brought forward but another slave refuses to let anyone tear the two apart. Pharaoh orders them both to be brought forward and decides to claim them both as his personal slaves. One slave is still very protective of the other slave and Pharaoh is curious to find out what had happened to make them like this. What happened to them before they arrived at the palace? Why is the second slave so protective of the first slave?
Kudos: 6





	My Slaves

The Pharaoh of Upper and Lower Egypt sat upon his throne, gazing down at his council with a bored expression. His council had been prattling on for the past four long hours about the same damn thing they spoke about yesterday. He sighed and rested his elbow on the armrest of his gold throne, resting his cheek against his fist as he tried mentally commanding them to hurry up or shut up. It wasn’t working though.

Pharaoh is only eighteen and has been ruling over his people for the past eight years. He was officially crowned only a year ago though when his very ill father finally passed away after being unfit to rule for years, even though he tried. He has a perfect caramel tan and red eyes a few shades short of crimson. He has a well defined jaw, thick lips often held in a frown, a small nose and slightly large ears. His long hair sits a foot and a half above his head, making the shape of a spade. His hair is black with a golden yellow trim at the tips. Nine evenly spaced coloured strips spike from his hairline to the yellow trim, but only at the very front of his gravity-defying hair. The lower coloured section is red, followed by orange on both sides one strip higher. Then it goes pink, purple and ends in blue shooting straight up from the centre of his forehead to the yellow trim. He’s slightly shorter than most people, only by a few inches.

Pharaoh tends to wear a white skirt that falls just short of his knees and a white sleeveless shirt, a six-inch wide gold belt around his waist to keep his skirt in place. A floor length royal purple cape fell from his shoulders and a pair of white slip-on shoes protects his feet from the hot ground. He also has a gold ankh hanging from each ear and a gold sleeper in his right ear. Golden wrist bands with silver dragons engraved in them are firmly clasped around his thin wrists, red rubies making the dragon’s eyes. Gold bands circle his calves, protecting his legs from ankle to knee. He uses the bands on his legs because he had a disease as a boy that weakened his legs, so he uses them as braces, so his legs are supported without the need of a stick like his father had used. A golden crown sat upon Pharaoh’s forehead, going from his hairline to his eyebrow. A silver snake created an eternity symbol in the centre with a ruby eye, a black metal creating what looked like an eclipse behind the slave, blue gems surrounding the eclipse. The crown is held in place by a golden coloured string fastened behind his head, hidden by his unique hair.

“How much longer are you going to drag this out? We speak about this every damn day,” Pharaoh growled when the council finally stopped arguing amongst themselves long enough for him to get a word in. That _finally_ caught their attention. “I have more important things to deal with than listening to you idiots fight amongst yourselves. You have your own damn _private_ council chambers to do that. Decide what you want to do before dragging me here! Stop bringing up the same nonsense that is completely irrelevant. It has nothing to do with me.”

“Sire, the traitors aiming to overthrow the King of the next kingdom **is** relevant to you,” the head of the council said.

“How? There’s nothing I can do about it. Besides, they’re our _enemy_ ,” Pharaoh replied. “Even if they weren’t, it’s _their_ kingdom, not _mine._ Let them work it out themselves.”

The council nodded slightly. It’s true, their king should be responsible for dealing with the traitors but it’s still worrying them. They may restart the war that had just ended with that kingdom. That’s the **last** thing they need. Many of their men are still recovering from the last battle.

“Good. Do NOT bring this topic up again,” Pharaoh growled. “Is there anything else we **must** discuss? If not, we’re done.”

“There’s one more thing,” the head of the council said.

“What is it?” Pharaoh growled, glaring at the old man.

The head of the council shrunk back slightly at the glare, even though he really tried not to be bothered. He knew that glare meant trouble and has called for more than a few executions. “The guards have brought another group of slaves in.”

“So? It’s not my job to assign them roles,” Pharaoh replied, tapped the fingers of his left hand against the armrest of his throne.

“It’s so that you can find yourself a slave,” a young councilwoman answered for her boss.

“I don’t want one,” Pharaoh replied. 

“It’s tradition,” the head of the council said.

“I hate tradition,” Pharaoh muttered, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at his council. That’s not very Pharaoh like after all. “Fine, bring them in.”

The head of the council nodded and gestured for the guards at the door to bring the slaves in.

The guards nodded back and opened the door, more guards dragging a couple dozen slaves in shackles and rags into the throne room so that the Pharaoh could inspect his new palace slaves before they’re assigned roles.

Pharaoh frowned as he looked over the group with a bored expression, not even really looking. That was until his eyes fell upon a cute long blonde haired boy that was looking down. “Guards, bring Blondie forward,” Pharaoh ordered, pointing at the teen.

Another boy growled at the guards and looped his shackled arms around the teen’s body, tugging him close while he glared at the guards.

“Release the blonde kid,” one guard demanded gruffly, pointing his spear at the protective boy’s nose.

The boy looked at the spear and then looked back at the guard with a dark glare, saying something in a language that none of them could understand. Well, almost no one.

Pharaoh raised an eyebrow as he heard the dead language. “Both of you, step forward,” Pharaoh ordered, standing up and descending the stairs that lead to the throne.

The two slave boys slowly made their way forward, the blonde boy still hiding in the chest of his guardian.

Pharaoh raised an eyebrow when he saw the protective slave glaring at him, directly in the face. That is rare since it’s against the law to look upon the face of the Pharaoh without permission. He couldn’t help but notice the pale scars lining the pale face. His face was very pale. “What’s your name?”

Again, the guardian slave responded in the dead tongue. 

“Tell me your name,” Pharaoh repeated, taking on a stern tone.

“N-Naoki and N-Namiko,” the blonde boy answered from his hiding place, his voice muffled by his guardian’s chest.

“Naoki and Namiko?” Pharaoh repeated. “Which one is which?”

“I-I’m Naoki,” the blonde replied.

“Where are you from?” Pharaoh asked, circling the boys. He felt a little uncomfortable as Namiko glared at him the entire time. 

The blonde merely shrugged and tilted his head so he could finally see the Pharaoh, the Pharaoh seeing his face as well.

Namiko has extremely pale skin and large cyan eyes surrounded by thick, black eyelashes. His jaw is soft, faint scars running along the underside and over his left cheek. He has a cute button nose, thick lips and thin purple eyebrows. A green fringe falling to his eyebrows, parted in the centre. The bulk of his hair is hidden by a dirty cream cloth which is folded over and tied at the back, hiding everything but the fringe. His pale ears are on display though, as are the two silver sleepers in his right ear. Namiko is a good head shorter than most people.

He is wearing nothing but an extremely torn and holey cream dress that fell halfway down his thigh, short sleeves protecting his shoulders from the sun. He’s not even wearing shoes.

Naoki also has pale skin but he has more colour to him. He has large, light grey eyes and butt length blonde hair, parted to the right. His fringe falls to the top of his eyes and flicks upwards over his right ear, the left side flicking slightly over the bottom of his left eye. He has a round jaw, button nose and thin lips. He too has scars scattered across his face, more visible than those on his guardian’s face. He’s wearing the same outfit as his guardian and is about a head shorter than Namiko is.

“Everywhere,” Naoki muttered, blushing slightly as he turned his face away from the Pharaoh again.

“What is Namiko’s problem?” Pharaoh asked, glaring back at the guardian.

“I’m all he has left,” Naoki muttered, glancing at the Pharaoh to see if he had heard. He had.

“Oh,” Pharaoh said with a frown.

“Sir, do you want this brat thrown in the dungeons?” the head of the council asked.

“No, I want them to be taken back to my chambers and a healer summoned to check on them. Both of them,” Pharaoh replied, raising an eyebrow when he noticed the entire council gape at him. “What?”

“You want to claim this insolent fool?” the head of the council asked. “Why?”

“It’s none of your business why. Don’t question things beyond you,” Pharaoh replied. “No one is to touch the Blonde boy unless Namiko consents.”

Two guards nodded and escorted the slaves out of the room.

“You cannot have two slaves,” the youngest councilman said.

“You cannot tell me what to do,” Pharaoh responded. “And yes, I can. What I say goes and I say I have two slaves. Besides, you got your wish. I now have a slave, so back off!”

“Yes, Sire,” the council said in unison since it was obvious that the Pharaoh was in no mood to argue about his slaves. They had pushed the matter until he _finally_ took a slave. And an extra apparently.

“Good,” Pharaoh said, leaving the throne room with a flip of his cape that billowed as he walked.

The guards took the rest of the slaves out as well, taking them to the guy that’ll assign them duties within the palace.

Pharaoh caught up to his two new slaves on his way back to his chambers. Apparently, they had stopped so that Namiko could release Naoki. They’re still holding hands though. _‘They really are close to one another. Or is it something else?’_ Pharaoh thought with a raised eyebrow, staying silent as he followed the slaves and his guards.

Namiko glanced over his shoulder, pulling his charge closer when he noticed the Pharaoh watching them with a frown that put him on edge.

“Namiko?” Naoki whispered, looking up at his guardian. 

Pharaoh’s frown deepened when Namiko whispered back in the dead language yet again. _‘Can he speak Egyptian?’_ Pharaoh mentally asked. He’d have to find out since it’d complicate things if he couldn’t. How would he communicate if Namiko only spoke that tongue? Well, Naoki can obviously understand so maybe he can act as a translator. Even if Namiko can’t speak Egyptian, can he understand it?

Namiko glared over his shoulder, hating how the Pharaoh kept staring at them. Doesn’t he know that it’s rude to stare?

Pharaoh raised an eyebrow at him but didn’t turn away until they finally reached his chambers. “I’ll take them from you. Go and get the healer,” Pharaoh ordered, opening his door for the slaves.

“Yes, Sire,” the guards said, bowing to their king before they left to complete their orders.

“Good. You two, inside,” Pharaoh said, turning his eyes to his slaves.

Naoki followed the order but Namiko didn’t move.

Pharaoh raised an eyebrow at that. “Can he understand me?” Pharaoh asked.

“I’m not dumb. Of course, I understand,” Namiko growled, speaking Egyptian for the first time since he had arrived in the palace.

“Ah, so you do speak Egyptian. You’ve just been ignoring me this whole time,” Pharaoh said with a frown.

“Ignoring? No, merely observing. Gotta know the enemy after all,” Namiko replied, with a smirk.

“I’m not the enemy,” Pharaoh said.

“I’ve heard that before. Right before they threw Naoki onto the chopping board. Literally!” Namiko replied, crossing his arms as he glared at the Pharaoh. He made sure to keep his right foot forward since the left foot is the respectful one, not the right.

“I don’t even have a chopping board,” Pharaoh said with a frown.

Namiko snorted at that. “I call bullshit. I’ve seen you have many people placed on the chopping board. You killed my best friend that way,” Namiko replied.

Pharaoh’s frown deepened; he really didn’t know how to respond to that. “Fine, I have a chopping block, but I only use it when someone does something very wrong.”

“Liar. You kill people who are in the wrong place at the wrong time. A slave paid for the master’s crimes,” Namiko said.

Pharaoh sighed. “Just come inside. We can talk more inside.”

“Come on, Namiko. It’s alright,” Naoki said with a smile, coming to stand beside the Pharaoh.

“You’re too trusting,” Namiko muttered, hesitantly walking through the doorway.

Naoki couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “Maybe.”

Namiko frowned when he saw the bed, staying as far away from it as possible.

The room was rather simple with a wooden framed bed with neatly interwoven leather strips making up the mattress part of the bed sitting against the left wall. Two lions made the legs at the end of the bed and the headboard has many Egyptian gods engraved into the wood. Half a dozen feather filled white sacks are at the top of the bed to be used for pillows and a thin white sheet is across the bed to be used as a blanket. A wooden bedside table sat on each side of the bed and a trunk sat between the two lions at the end of the bed, dragons engraved in the trunk with their long bodies and tails intertwined around each other. A large chester draw sat directly across from the bed with a door on either side. One door was closed but the other was open and led to the bathing chambers. A table with six chairs sat to the left of the door, just before the bed. It was slightly away from the door so all the seats could be used comfortably. A door to the balcony sat directly across from the main door with faded red curtains pulled to the side so the Pharaoh could look through pillars making the ‘window’ of the door. A large window is on both sides of the doors to the balcony as well, also covered by faded red curtains.

“Have a seat,” Pharaoh said as he walked over to the table, taking a seat at the end of the table closest to the wall.

Naoki didn’t hesitate to sit beside the Pharaoh but Namiko was a little more hesitant, deciding to sit at the other end of the table.

“Sit closer, Namiko. He’s not going to hurt you,” Naoki said.

“No thanks. Again, you’re too trusting,” Namiko replied, crossing his arms as he glared at the Pharaoh.

“Nami, you’ve been glaring at him the entire time. He could’ve had you executed just for interfering when he wanted to see me. He didn’t. That says a lot about his character. He hasn’t had you thrown in the dungeons for looking at his face either,” Naoki pointed out. “You know that’s against the rules.”

Namiko frowned and said something back in the other tongue.

“What did he say?” Pharaoh asked.

Naoki blushed. “Maybe it’s best not to answer. He seems desperate to end up in the dungeons,” Naoki answered, glaring lightly at his guardian.

“Oh really? Now I really want to know what he said,” Pharaoh said with the slightest hint of a smile.

“I said you can shove your rules up your ass,” Namiko replied. “I just couldn’t remember the right Egyptian words.”

“Right. What language do you speak?” Pharaoh asked curiously.

Namiko shrugged. “Heaps. Egyptian, Japanese, Greek and Atlantean. There’s a crap ton more too but I can’t think of their names,” Namiko answered. “I think you were asking about the Atlantean part though since that’s what I’ve been speaking since I got here. It’s the one I’m most fluent in.”

“It was. How can you know Atlantean? Isn’t that the weird floating village that sank several millennia ago?” Pharaoh asked with a frown.

“The connection to the lower continents sank because you bastards are assholes,” Namiko replied honestly. “We still exist. Well, we did exist until a few years ago when the lower realm rose up and destroyed us with a magic far beyond our capabilities.”

“Oh… Sorry to hear that,” Pharaoh said. “I take it you’re Atlantean then.”

“We both are. Our people are almost gone though, because most of us are slaves and people tend to work slaves to death or kill them themselves. Or the master’s trick you and other rulers to kill them because of their crimes,” Namiko answered.

Pharaoh nodded. “Are Namiko and Naoki common names in Atlantis?” Pharaoh asked.

“They’re actually Japanese. We’re half Japanese,” Namiko answered.

“Are you two brothers?” Pharaoh asked, hoping that’d finally explain why they’re so close.

Namiko and Naoki glanced at each, pulling a disgusted face and turned back to the King. “Hell no! Gross!” the two replied in unison.

Pharaoh raised an eyebrow at that reaction.

“Namiko is my lover, not my brother,” Naoki explained with a dark blush, bowing his head while a faint blush spread over his guardian’s cheeks.

Pharaoh gaped at them. “That… That was not what I was expecting to hear. Is it common for men to date where you’re from?”

“Gender doesn’t play a role in Atlantis. I thought it wasn’t such a big deal here either. I mean, Seth slept with his brother. Also, most of your gods are hermaphrodites,” Namiko said.

“Herma-wha?” Pharaoh asked.

“Hermaphrodite. Both male and female,” Naoki explained.

“Oh… I suppose many are,” Pharaoh said. “Um… How old are you two?”

“Seventeen,” both Naoki and Namiko responded in unison. “You?” Namiko asked.

“Eighteen,” Pharaoh replied with a smile.

“And you don’t have a Queen yet? Don’t you people usually marry at like 11?” Namiko asked with a raised eyebrow, loosening his tight arms and folded them into a more relaxed stance.

“Usually. I’m not a usual person though,” Pharaoh replied.

“Obviously. Just look at your hair,” Namiko said with a smirk, looking at the King’s wacky hair style.

“Like you’re one to talk, Namiko,” Naoki said.

“What does your hair look like under that hood?” Pharaoh asked curiously, leaning forward slightly.

Namiko turned bright red. “Never mind. It’s embarrassing,” Namiko replied, pulling the hood down further.

“Come on, it can’t be that bad,” Pharaoh said. “Show us. I can order you if necessary.”

“Do you really think I’d listen to your orders?” Namiko asked with a raised eyebrow. “Not happening. Not until you tell me your name at least. One secret for another.”

“Um… I’m Pharaoh,” Pharaoh replied.

“That’s your title, not your name. What is your real name?” Namiko asked.

“Uh…” Pharaoh scratched just behind his ear. “I don’t know.”

“How can you not know your name?” Naoki asked curiously.

“It’s been so long since someone has used my name… I guess I forgot it,” Pharaoh said, slumping in his chair. “Jeez, that’s terrible. How can I forget my own name?”

“Wow,” Namoki gaped, jumping when someone knocked on the door.

“Calm down, it’s just the healer,” Pharaoh said, straightening up in his chair. “Enter!”

Namiko frowned and sat stiffly in his chair, ignoring the woman entering the chambers.

“You called for me, Pharaoh?” the woman said politely, bowing slightly to the king before she rose once again and smiled at the boys at the table. “How can I help?”

“Yes, Rana. These two boys are my new slaves. I need you to check them over please,” Pharaoh answered.

“Both of them are your slaves?” the healer, Rana, asked with a shocked expression. How can someone go from detesting the idea of having slaves to getting two overnight?

Rana, 25, is the head healer in the palace and occasionally works beside the Pharaoh as an advisor. She is of average height, thinly built and has C cup breasts. She is copper skinned with a touch of red across her cheeks that makes her face glow. She has a heart shaped face, a small nose, thick lips, large amethyst eyes surrounded by thick eyelashes and thin, neatly groomed white eyebrows. Her knee length hair is white and is almost always tied up in a high ponytail, her fringe parted to the left slight on the right side of her forehead. Her hair starts to transition to pink halfway down and is bright pink by the tips. 

Rana is wearing a white dress that fell to her ankles, hugging her shapely torso before flaring out at her hips so that she could walk comfortably. Egyptian style sandals cover her feet and a light pink apron covers the front of her dress, a pocket on each side to store her potions and lotions during chamber visits. A sapphire earring is in each earlobe and a silver cartouche hangs from her neck, bearing the name of her lover. Simple silver bands cover each wrist with rose gold swirls throughout to add some more colour. She chose not to use the standard gold since she thought the gold clashed too much with her skin tone.

“Yes. Start with him,” Pharaoh answered, pointing at Namiko.

“No, start with me. The last thing we need is you having a blackeye before you even start,” Naoki said, blushing when both Egyptians raised their eyebrows at him. “Namiko will rather die than be touched by a healer. You’re going to have fun with him.”

“Why?” Pharaoh asked with a frown, turning to look at Namiko. His only response was the guardian sliding down in his chair.

“Okay. Come on, Little One. We’ll do this in the bathing chambers,” Rana said with a smile, leading the shorter boy into the bathing chambers.

“Why do you hate healers?” Pharaoh asked Namiko once Naoki was out of the room.

“Because fuck off,” Namiko replied with a glare, going into defensive mode yet again.

Pharaoh sighed at that. “Here we go again. Why are you so defensive all the time?”

“I’m a slave. You’re Pharaoh, you’re supposed to be smart. Work it out yourself,” Namiko replied, tightly clasping his arms around his stomach when he felt it grumbling.

“I know you’re a slave. That doesn’t explain why you’re against healers. They don’t harm people,” Pharaoh said.

“Not physically. Unless resetting a bone or operating on you while you’re conscious of course,” Namiko replied with a dark frown.

Pharaoh frowned. “I’m clearly missing something.”

“Yeah. You’re missing knowledge on my past and you’re not likely to get it any time soon,” Namiko said. “Just know this, healers’ equal trouble.”

“I don’t see how,” Pharaoh muttered.

“Then open your damn eyes,” Namiko growled. “All the pieces are there, just put them together.”

“You have a nasty attitude,” Pharaoh said with a frown.

“At least you got one thing right,” Namiko muttered.

“What? Are you hangry?” Pharaoh asked.

“Am I what?” Namiko asked with a confused look.

“Hangry? Angry from being hungry,” Pharaoh explained. “Rana explained to me that it’s a term that’ll be used in a few millennia.”

“Oh… She’s a seer too? That’s cool,” Namiko said with a slight smile.

“It is but that’s not an answer to my question,” Pharaoh replied. “Are you hangry?”

“I dunno… I’m _always_ hungry,” Namiko answered.

“How long has it been since you ate?” Pharaoh asked as he rose from his seat.

Namiko shrugged. “I had some mouldy bread two days ago. The last proper meal was probably when my daughter was born two years ago,” Namiko replied honestly, his eyes widening as a hand came to his mouth after he realised that he had let a big secret slip.

“You have a daughter?” Pharaoh asked. “Where is she?”

Namiko shrugged. “I haven’t seen her since she was born. They took her from me just after her birth. I barely got to hold her,” Namiko answered honestly, looking down to hide the tears threatening to fall.

Pharaoh nodded and left the room, deciding not to push things further since he really isn’t good with people crying. He returned a minute later after ordering a servant to bring them some food.

Naoki and Rana were back in the room when Pharaoh returned to the room, but Namiko was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s Namiko?” Pharaoh asked with a frown.

“Under the bed. He refuses to come out as long as Rana is here,” Naoki answered.

Pharaoh frowned and walked over to the bed, getting on his head and knees so he could peak under his bed. Bright cyan eyes looked back at him. “Come out of there, Namiko.”

“No,” Namiko replied, scooting further away when Pharaoh reached under the bed to pull him out.

“You can eat after Rana checks you. She won’t hurt you,” Pharaoh said. “Just get your ass out here.”

“I said no,” Namiko growled, glaring at the king.

“He will never budge. Many people have tried, no one has succeeded. He’d rather starve than willingly hand himself over to someone else, especially a healer,” Naoki said.

“Can’t you get him to come out?” Pharaoh asked, glancing over his shoulder. “He listens to you, doesn’t he?”

Naoki chuckled and shook his head. “Not when it comes to healers. Not even when he’s bleeding to death.”

Pharaoh frowned and turned back to Namiko. “Come out or I’ll force you.”

“You can’t force me to do _anything_ ,” Namiko replied, placing his hands over his ears so that he no longer had to hear them.

“We’ll see about that,” Pharaoh muttered, tapping into his magic. He didn’t use it often, but his father had taught him how to take control of one’s mind simply by staring into their eyes and influencing them with his magic. He hated using it though since it was forcing people to obey and that’s not what he’s about.

Namiko frowned, shutting his eyes as he tried to force the Pharaoh out of his head, but it was too late. He already had access to his mind so he couldn’t force him out now.

“Come out,” Pharaoh ordered once he thought he had control. Namiko didn’t respond though. The only sign he had was the boy’s arms going limp, dropping from over his ears.

“What did you do?” Naoki asked with a frown.

“It’s a trick Father taught me. It’s supposed to turn people into obedient puppets,” Pharaoh replied.

“Ah… That’s a common thing with Royals and Nobles. It doesn’t work the way you plan on Namiko though,” Naoki said.

Pharaoh turned to the boy with a raised eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Namiko is under your control but he won’t move. Walk and guide him and he’ll obediently follow but he won’t take the initiative, even if you tell him to. It pissed some masters off but it’s because of how strong his mind is,” Naoki explained.

“Interesting,” Pharaoh muttered, reaching under the bed to draw Namiko forward. The boy obediently followed only while the Pharaoh was tugging lightly on his arm. “He’s all your, Rana. Don’t hurt him or he’ll never trust us.”

“I have no intention of hurting him. I still fear what I’ll find,” Rana replied, helping Namiko to his feet. “Will the spell work with you out of the room?”

“Yes. It’ll work until I release his mind,” Pharaoh answered.

Rana nodded and took Namiko’s left elbow, leading him towards the bathing chambers.

“Can you tell me why he hates healers so much?” Pharaoh asked Naoki once Namiko was safely behind the bathing chambers doors.

Naoki sighed and sat in Namiko’s seat. “Over the years healers have meant disaster. Lots has happened from the healer using him for experiments. They tried turning him into a living mummy at one point. They did a lot of other experiments too, including killing him a hundred different ways and reviving him yet again,” Naoki explained. “The healer also tends to reveal one of Namiko’s biggest secrets, one he considers a curse more than a gift, and the master decides to take advantage of the ‘gift’.”

“What is the ‘gift’?” Pharaoh asked curiously.

“No offense but we’d prefer not to tell until we can trust you. I know you have more than enough reason to throw Namiko into the dungeons, but we’d prefer to keep some things for now,” Naoki answered.

“Alright… On one condition,” Pharaoh said.

“What’s the condition?” Naoki asked with a frown.

“You convince him to behave when we’re in meetings. I’ll let you keep your secrets if you both behave,” Pharaoh replied.

“Sounds fair,” Naoki said with a nod. “Deal. We’ll behave.”

“Good,” Pharaoh said with a smile, going to the door when someone knocked. “Place the food on the table please.”

The servant at the door nodded quickly and entered the chambers, placing the large platter of fruits and bread onto the table before she left again with a bow to the king.

Naoki looked at the food hungry, his stomach grumbling.

Pharaoh chuckled. “That food is for you and Namiko. Eat up.”

“Thank Kami! I’m starving!” Naoki said, grabbing a bunch of grapes from the plate.

Pharaoh smiled and sat on the bed, lightly flicking his legs while he watched his shorter slave eat his food.

“Aren’t you going to eat too?” Naoki asked.

“No. I have a dinner I’m supposed to attend tonight with my cousin and his new lover,” Pharaoh replied with a smile. “That reminds me, you two will be joining me. I hope the misses don't mind me bringing a couple extra mouths.”

“We don’t eat much so it won’t be a problem,” Naoki said.

“She can kiss my golden ass if she has a problem with it,” Pharaoh muttered, glancing at the door to his bathing chambers. He kind of needed to use the bathroom but he didn’t want to bother Rana and her patient.

Naoki chuckled at the Pharaoh, biting into a green apple.


End file.
